{"id":19067,"date":"2019-09-16T13:40:18","date_gmt":"2019-09-16T20:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=19067"},"modified":"2019-09-16T13:40:18","modified_gmt":"2019-09-16T20:40:18","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-who-saw-her-die-1972","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=19067","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! Blu-ray Review: WHO SAW HER DIE? (1972)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d Blu-ray release from Arrow Video will be available for purchase (www.arrowvideo.com \u2013 www.facebook.com\/ArrowVideo\/) on September 17th<\/sup>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1972 was a very big year for Italian \u201cgiallo\u201d films. For\nthose unfamiliar with the genre, these features were crime\/murder\/mystery tales,\noften with a dark and violent edge. Dario Argento had just found worldwide\nsuccess over the previous two years with his \u201cAnimal trilogy\u201d (The Bird with\nthe Crystal Plumage<\/em>, The Cat o\u2019 Nine Tails<\/em> and Four Flies on Grey\nVelvet<\/em>). Naturally it came as no surprise that most Italian film companies quickly\nstarted producing their own pictures with remarkably similar elements. The\nresult was an incredible mass of genre titles; perhaps it was too enormous, as well\nover 30 films using the format were released that year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of those releases lost in the shuffle was Who\nSaw Her Die?<\/em> The titled failed to garner much of a release outside of Italy\nand Europe, even though it offered a few different components and strove to\ndistinguish itself. Now, Arrow Video had decided to revisit the title, presenting\na sparkling new 2K restoration of the uncut feature with a bevy of bonuses that\nreally show off the picture\u2019s numerous strengths. It may not necessarily be a\ngenre masterpiece, but it does have several interesting qualities going for it.\nFans of the genre will most definitely find the movie worth their while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The story involves a bizarre old woman dressed in\nblack, stalking and murdering children. After witnessing one of her slaying in the\nFrench Alps, the story moves to scenic Venice, Italy, home to artist Franco\nSerpieri (George Lazenby). When his ex-wife Elizabeth (Anita Strindberg) sends their\ndaughter Roberta (Nicoletta Elmi) out for a visit, he\u2019s thrilled to welcome her.\nUnfortunately, the young girl is soon stalked by the psychotic woman. When the child\ndisappears after going out to play with neighborhood kids, Franco must deal with\ntragedy head on. The despondent lead and his ex-spouse attempt to deal with the\nloss and find the responsible party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This picture is quite eerie, perhaps because of its memorably bizarre killer and the innocent youngsters being targeted. Thankfully, it isn\u2019t an exploitative picture. While very disturbing things do happen, the film isn\u2019t explicit in its violence and avoids elaborate murder set pieces, instead taking a more suggestive approach. Instead, the film appears to be more interested in its characters and how they deal with incredible loss. While this approach may not be every horror fan’s cup of tea, it does add some weight and significance to the proceedings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lead performer Lazenby had previously donned the\nmantle of James Bond for On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service<\/em> in 1969 and had\njust parted ways with the franchise. Here, the actor appears to be trying to\nget away from the famous spy character. He plays a decidedly different type of protagonist,\ndonning a shaggier, hippie-like appearance and avoiding grand heroic acts, instead\nsuffering with grief and anger. Alas, it seems Lazenby\u2019s voice may have been\ndubbed by another actor in post-production (a common trait for all Italian pictures),\nbut it isn\u2019t very noticeable and is quickly forgotten. The protagonist remains very\nbelievable and relatable, which is an especially impressive accomplishment  for a low-budget genre flick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As Franco begins to investigate, the movie also offers some unique turns that were more than edgy for its day. He soon learns that the city\u2019s wealthiest and most powerful people harbor some disturbing and dangerous secrets, and these crimes begin to result in unusual deaths involving adults. Even a friendly priest with a connection to the artist is placed under some suspicion. While the pacing is relaxed and events play out in a low-key manner, these bits are very different and add a bit of distinction to the story. Today’s releases are sometimes referred to as being forward-thinking when taking on institutions and the establishment, but movies like this were bringing up many of the same issues some 45 years earlier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The movies biggest highlights are its visuals and score.\nShot during the Venice winter, the time of year adds an element of eeriness to\nthe proceedings. Public areas are quiet and flooded out, while banks of fog\nappear regularly in the background. The locations are gorgeously shot in\nwidescreen by Franco di Giacomo, a young cinematographer who had just shot Four\nFlies on Grey Velvet<\/em> and would later lens The Postman (Il Postino)<\/em>.\nAnd the movie benefits from a memorable musical accompaniment by the\nincomparable Ennio Morricone (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly<\/em>, The\nUntouchables<\/em>, The Hateful Eight<\/em>). The main theme features a choir of\nchildren; the melody is memorable and sticks around in the head long after the\nend credits have rolled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While the feature isn\u2019t always tension-filled and has\nsome imperfections, it does distinguish itself from the pack thanks to its\nstory, photography and music. The Blu-ray from Arrow Video also makes an  equally positive impression. The movie has\nbeen difficult to obtain in this part of the world since its release, yet the\ndistributor has given it a new and exceptionally sharp 2K restoration from the\noriginal 35mm camera negative. Viewers can choose either the English or Italian\nlanguage version of the movie, and there are plenty of other extras worth seeking\nout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a great commentary from a film historian who provides\nbiographical details about the cast and crew. He also notes the themes present\nand how director Also Lado uses the characters to attack the elder generations of\nItaly. The elderly suspects are more powerful than the youthful leads and\nincredibly crooked, manipulating the youth and even using them cover up their own\ncrimes and indiscretions). Additionally, he goes into depth about the run of \u201cgiallo\u201d\nfilms that were released in 1972, offering information about other titles worth\nseeking out. There\u2019s also a great interview with a film expert and author who\ngoes into more details about this picture and its place within the genre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The disc also boasts some great cast and crew interviews, including one with now grown-up Nicoletta Elmi on her career, as well as another with the screenwriter (who tells some interesting stories even if he rambles a little bit and makes some claims that can\u2019t be substantiated). The highlight may be a lengthy interview with director Lado, who talks about his work on the film and how some of the ideas came about. He describes working with Lazenby on a limited budget, and some personal encounters as a young man that informed the movie\u2019s critiques of the Catholic Church and old wealth. He also voices disappointment with a final voice-over after the climax that was added by the producers in order to avoid controversy (viewers watching for the first time should ignore it).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Who Saw Her Die?<\/em> ends up being a surprisingly unique and interesting little lost obscurity that keeps viewer attention throughout its running time, even if it isn\u2019t quite as grandiose as a Dario Argento picture.  It\u2019s great to see the movie finally get its due with such excellent treatment by Arrow Video. This Blu-ray will make a solid addition to any collector who enjoys eccentric Italian thrillers from the 70s.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d Blu-ray release from Arrow Video will be available for purchase (www.arrowvideo.com \u2013 www.facebook.com\/ArrowVideo\/) on September 17th. 1972 was a very big year for Italian \u201cgiallo\u201d films. For those unfamiliar with the genre, these features were crime\/murder\/mystery tales, often with a dark and violent edge. Dario Argento had just found worldwide success over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[103,1153,1836,2923,3067,8194,8290,9319,10042,14399,24237],"class_list":["post-19067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-103","tag-also-lado","tag-arrow-video","tag-blasts-from-the-past","tag-blu-ray","tag-george-lazenby","tag-giallo","tag-horror","tag-italy","tag-murder","tag-who-saw-her-die"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19067\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}